gles of south-east Asia. Millions suffered the cata-
strophic consequences.
The majority of the nations in south-east Asia
were ruled by authoritarian systems of govern-
ment. The very nature of Dutch and French colo-
nialism, aggravated by the interlude of Japanese
military occupation, meant that democracy and
constitutional government, regular elections, an
independent judiciary and basic civil freedoms,
including free expression and a free press, had
shallow roots. The British Empire in Asia, on the
other hand, with the exception of Malaya and
Burma, was spared the Japanese occupation.
British colonial rule was the most enlightened,
introducing some of the essential features of con-
stitutional government. The Republic of India is
1
TURMOIL, WAR AND BLOODSHED IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA 591
Mandalay
Rangoon
BAY
OF
BENGAL
ANDAMAN
SEA
GULF
OF
SIAM
INDIAN
OCEAN
BURMA
CHINA
NORTH
VIETNAM
SOUTH
VIETNAM
THAILAND
CAMBODIA
MALAYA
SINGAPORE
0 100 200 300 miles
SUMATRA
INDONESIA BORNEO
INDONESIA
EAST
PAKISTAN
INDIA
R.
Me
ko
ng
Luang Prabang
Hanoi
Bangkok
Phnom-Penh
Haiphong
Hue
Da Nang
L
A
O
S
Saigon
S O U T H C H I N A S E A
SARAWAK
BRUNEI
R.M
eko
ng
South-east Asia,
